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 Expert
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Location: Cocoa, Florida | Is it just me or do others feel like a lot of people are "over-supplemting" their horses here lately? It just seems like when something new and big comes out that some pro rodeo Girl is using when they win that everyone just jumps on the bandwagon. I'm not saying it's a bad thing and don't use or try new supplements but I know just like humans you have to have a balance and a lot of supplements have the same vitamins and minerals that are in feeds they're already feeding. I feel like people should do their research before adding aupplemts to their horses feed program, know exactly what they're using, how it works and if it's necessary. I see a lot of products with ingriedients that horses can't properly digest but because it's a big name product they use it. I'm No nutritionist but I believe in keeping it simple, and try to research as much as possible! |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| Yep, but it's their money if they want to spend it.
I suppose in extreme circumstances you could do damage to a horse by over supplementing, but I think it'd be tough (could be wrong though).
I've tried several, stopped most, had one horse who just came out of winter looking tough. Starting him on a supplement at the suggesting of my chiropractor and now the whole barn gets it. Finally feel like I'm spending my money on something that works. |
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| It's better than not feeding enough or starving one. I have enough to think about besides wondering if some one is over supplementing. |
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 Warrior Mom
Posts: 4400
| Easy to do! I cut down and am trying to focus on the best forage I can get my hands on! |
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7268
| I remember telling my ex once that I needed to feed more grain to add all the supplements to - yes, I think you can WAY over do it. |
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Expert
Posts: 1612
Location: Cocoa, Florida | GLP - 2017-06-01 10:33 PM
It's better than not feeding enough or starving one. I have enough to think about besides wondering if some one is over supplementing.
I agree it's obviously better then starving one but that's not relevant to my post, just a topic of discussion |
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 You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | I feel a lot of people over supplement but its not worth it to me to get worked up over it.
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12841
| I amazes me, too, but the things that people actually feed amazes me. I keep wondering where folks get the information and recommendations to feed certain things. |
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  Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | Â I also agree and I sell supplements. The thing people need to figure out is if the supplements they are giving are complete-have all the vitamins and minerals etc. And if it is, dont give a bunch of others with it as well. They will just pass the extra through their system, but its a waste. I love THE because you can customize and eliminate over supplementing. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 690
Location: Georgia | want2chase3 - 2017-06-02 12:24 AM
Easy to do! I cut down and am trying to focus on the best forage I can get my hands on!
I did this too! I just woke up one day and realized if I put my money into better hay and feed I would have to supplement for everything! |
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Warrior Mom
Posts: 4400
| streakysox - 2017-06-02 7:55 AM
I amazes me, too, but the things that people actually feed amazes me. I keep wondering where folks get the information and recommendations to feed certain things.
And the $$$$ to pay for it! I don't feed near the recommended amounts of feed (grain) per what the feed sack says, I typically try to add at least a digestion aid, like forco or fastrack... then I got sucked into oils, then hoof, then calming and hair coat lol! I got to looking around my feed room and had waaaaay too many containers. I made the decision to just go to the platinum performance since it addresses all "my" concerns. My feed program is pretty much based on good forage, alfalfa and maybe a lb or 2 of grain plus a scoop of platinum. Easy peasy! I don't feel like a mad scientist mixing feed anymore lol! |
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Expert
Posts: 1695
Location: Willows, CA | Those who have been to one of my talks have heard this. " we feed horses into trouble, then try to supplement them out of it " |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | Mhmm. And I think it's a good thing to bring up! Maybe some people think it's trivial but if it can help out some horses and owners, starting the conversation is not a bad thing! I spent hours and days trying to create the perfect diet for my horse and all his issues. Allergies, inflammation from KS, lacking muscle, poor hooves...after nearly 2 years of struggling and spending $$$$ I turned him out on a huge pasture, no grain or supplements, pulled his shoes (well, he took the liberty of doing that himself....) and now he's doing better than ever before. The simpler, the more natural, the better. |
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Expert
Posts: 1612
Location: Cocoa, Florida | cavyrunsbarrels - 2017-06-02 10:54 AM
Mhmm. And I think it's a good thing to bring up! Maybe some people think it's trivial but if it can help out some horses and owners, starting the conversation is not a bad thing! I spent hours and days trying to create the perfect diet for my horse and all his issues. Allergies, inflammation from KS, lacking muscle, poor hooves...after nearly 2 years of struggling and spending $$$$ I turned him out on a huge pasture, no grain or supplements, pulled his shoes (well, he took the liberty of doing that himself....) and now he's doing better than ever before. The simpler, the more natural, the better. Â
I agree with this, less is more, back to basics. Yes we have come a long way with vitamins and minerals but a lot of complete feeds and good hay have all that they need! I got sucked into a lot of the new supplements and after spending all the $$$ and seeing no difference I researched what was in them and realized I was giving them to much of the same things! |
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Expert
Posts: 1207
| I think I have come to that point. But I'm not sure which way to turn and it seems out of the 3 my older retired gelding is better than the other two that just seem to have these chronic problems and they do not get any grain just alfalfa/timothy pellets and Omnis cubes. |
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 Champ
Posts: 19623
Location: Peg-Leg Julia Grimm | When feeding 2 or more supplements, it's very easy to over-supplement. Some people think the excess just passes through into the manure. But that's not true. The water soluble vitamins will pass through without issues usually. But the oil soluble vitamins and minerals do NOT pass through. They stay in the system and WILL cause issues due to being out of balance with the rest of the vitamins and minerals. Just one example is selenium. Too much selenium causes many of the same symptoms that not enough selenium causes.
"Selenium Toxicity
A horse with a supplemental selenium intake in excess of 5 mg per day might suffer from selenium toxicity if his forage and feed already provide adequate selenium; the maximum tolerable level of selenium in a horse’s total diet is only 20 mg per day. As little as 50 mg per day total intake can result in mild signs of toxicity (loss of mane and tail hairs, horizontal hoof cracks). Animals consuming more than 1 gram per day--or those that are inadvertently overdosed with selenium even once--can develop acute selenium poisoning, which will rapidly cause death (as in the 2009 deaths of several polo ponies due to a medication error). Clinical signs of acute selenium poisoning include gait abnormalities, garlic breath odor, labored breathing, and muscle tremors. This poisoning can be life-threatening depending on the amount consumed. Overdoses can also be fatal for foals.
Chronic selenium toxicity, which is more common, is the result of long-term exposure to high levels of selenium for a period of weeks to months. Chronic toxicity can cause blindness, lameness, abdominal pain, excessive salivation, teeth grating, paralysis, respiratory failure, and death.
Toxic levels of selenium can damage the cells that form keratin (keratinocytes), which is the primary constituent that makes up hair and hooves. In affected horses, selenium replaces sulfur in the keratin molecule, which is what causes the clinical signs of chronic selenium toxicity including hair loss, horizontal hoof wall cracks, and even hoof sloughing in severe cases."
You can sign up for free access to articles on The Horse below.
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/15982/selenium-a-balancing-act |
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Champ
Posts: 19623
Location: Peg-Leg Julia Grimm | Let me start by saying, I feed and have fed alfalfa for decades and it's an essential part of my feeding program. However, alfalfa while being a VERY good feed for horses, is not balanced. It has too much calcium and not enough phosphorous. Grass hay/pasture grass and unfortified grain is, on the other hand, higher in phosphorous and lower in calcium. So I use alfalfa to balance the Cal:Phos ratio and bring the protein level up in the horses diet (growing/immature horses, mares, babies and my stallion need it). IF one is feeding alfalfa as the only forage, they need to add a supplement that brings the phosphorous levels up in the total ration.
Edited by OregonBR 2017-06-02 1:47 PM
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 I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | I totally agree with OregonBR.
Had a friend that had a horse with selenium toxicity.
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 I Want a "MAN"
Posts: 3610
Location: MD | I also think people over do therapies - Doing it unnecessarily and not using it for the proper reason. |
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Expert
Posts: 1207
| Oh forgot to add that they are all out on pasture 24/7. Grass is OK not lush but it is OK. |
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